Ian Foster on his time as All Blacks coach and the Rugby World Cup final defeat

Ian Foster head coach embraces Mark Tele'a. Photo / Getty

Listen live: Departing coach Ian Foster talks to the Mike Hosking Breakfast - 7.35am

Departing All Blacks coach Ian Foster joins Newstalk ZB’s Mike Hosking this morning for an exclusive interview in the wake of the Rugby World Cup.

Foster’s side fell just short of claiming a fourth World Cup title after going down 12-11 to the Springboks in Paris. Scott Robertson now takes over as All Blacks coach.

Foster joined the All Blacks as an assistant coach in 2012 and was part of the coaching staff when the side won the World Cup title in 2015. He took the reins from Steve Hansen following the 2019 World Cup and had a shaky start in the role following defeats to Australia and a first ever loss to Argentina during the Covid-effected Rugby Championship tournament in 2020.

In 2022 the All Blacks lost a home series to Ireland and then suffered a heavy defeat to South Africa which put pressure on Foster’s role, before the side claimed a famous win at Ellis Park.

Under Foster, the All Blacks won four Rugby Championship titles and retained both the Freedom Cup and Bledisloe Cup. He has the third most wins as an All Black coch (32 from 46 tests).

“It’s been a tough World Cup,” Foster said on arrival in Auckland on Tuesday along with All Blacks squad members and management.

“I think the whole year we built to where we really wanted to be ... we got better as the tournament went on.

“I thought the way that we showed what it meant to us was there for everyone to see.”

Foster joked about getting the squad over to camp out on his lawn to get away from everything, but thought he would fly around the country to visit the players in the next few months “for a proper send off.”